Since the beginning of 2024, Bas Koeten Racing’s Motorsport Techlabs program has gained significant momentum. Several innovative projects, both on and off the track, are being developed under the radar. One of these projects has now entered a new phase, and the time is right for an initial release.

“Two Working Deep Fryers”

Bas Koeten: “In collaboration with Fontys University of Applied Sciences, specifically the Electric Drive minor, we managed to convert a Polestar street car with three students so that it can serve as mobile energy storage. It can both charge and discharge. The idea was born because we have over 700 solar panels on our workshop in Westwoud, and we wanted to do something with the storage and transport of green energy in light of the much-discussed grid congestion. Roll up your sleeves and get to work. The students have done an amazing job. At one point, just before the summer vacation, the students sent us a photo of our Polestar powering two working deep fryers. They actually pulled it off! I was speechless for a moment. This is no small feat. Now that the new academic year has started, a new group has taken over the assignment to continue to the next phase. The results of this will be shared at a later stage, just wait and see.”

“Incredibly Proud of Brilliant Minds”

Jelle Koeten adds: “Within our Motorsport Techlabs program, we develop people and technologies. Talent development of young engineers, but also of drivers. We have several projects running, and we share news about them step by step. We also collaborate with students on projects involving hydrogen, fuel cells, fast chargers, and so on. We are also supporting driver Calvin de Groot, who is successfully participating in the NXT Gen Cup, the world’s first 100% electric touring car class. In two weeks, he will compete for the title in this class during the DTM event at Hockenheim. The Polestar project with Fontys University comes from Bas’s vision to make a personal contribution to energy management. Using resources available on the market, plus a few brilliant minds, engineers in the making. With that, we want to experiment and achieve success. This has been an incredible success, and we are immensely proud of it.”

Below is the article from Fontys University about our collaboration:

Your car as a ‘power outlet’ for your deep fryer: it’s possible!

Powering household appliances with electricity from your car. It sounds too good to be true, but three students from the Fontys Automotive Electric Drive minor made it happen. “The fryer has already been running.”

Student Justin Griffioen, along with fellow students Tim van Bavel and Nick Brouwers, received an assignment from one of the partners of the Electric Drive minor: Bas Koeten Racing. “Bas has a lot of solar panels on his business premises and owns a Polestar, an electric car,” Justin explains.

Koeten wanted to use his ‘extra’ energy and asked the three students to figure out if the car could also serve as a home battery. “He even bought another Polestar for us to test this.”

Polestar at the Doorstep

However, it wasn’t easy. Justin, along with Tim and Nick, visited Koeten’s company to brainstorm about the research and possible solutions. “We were able to convince him to work with an actual physical car. Not long after, a Polestar was indeed parked at the doorstep,” says Justin enthusiastically.

A small sidenote: the car they were working with was actually a damaged vehicle that the trio had to repair before they could get it running. “In the end, we managed to enable the car to charge and discharge. That was truly surreal.”

Fast Charging

The ultimate goal of the three students was to convert the car’s power so that it could be used in the home. “We ended up creating our own circuit board for an Arduino that manages communication with the car. This data is then sent to a Raspberry Pi (a single-board computer) to decode and communicate that the car is connected to a fast-charging station. This allowed us to discharge the car using an inverter.”

Justin, Tim, and Nick were eventually able to convert the car’s power (400 volts DC) to the electricity typically needed for home use (three-phase 230V AC) and store it in a battery. Justin explains: “That battery delivers the same energy as your power supplier’s grid connection. So your washing machine, lights, laptop, and TV can all run on it. In that sense, our solution provides an additional energy source for your home.”

Frikandellen

To demonstrate their results, the students cooked frikandellen (Dutch snacks) in deep fryers during a group barbecue, using electricity drawn from the Polestar via the inverter. “Tasty snacks for our fellow students, but they were also incredibly excited about the process behind it,” says Justin.

This excitement has been echoed by many on LinkedIn, where Justin shared his team’s findings. “We’ve been invited by various companies to test our inverter system. Even companies that work with Lightyear (the solar-powered car) and Polestar themselves have reached out to us.”

Improving and Installing

What the future holds for this project is still uncertain for Justin, but he has already received several internship offers. “Now it’s up to the next group to continue this project. They will improve our proof of concept and possibly install it at Bas Koeten’s home. Do I find it hard to let go? Not really. One of my teammates will remain the point of contact for the new students, so I know it’s in good hands with him.”

Justin also realizes that he and his group have sparked a literal surge in innovation. “The industry now knows that converting power for home use is possible. Many manufacturers had planned to start producing charging stations capable of this earlier this year, but none have hit the market yet. The fact that we’ve proven it’s possible may well accelerate the entire process.”

Source: https://bron.fontys.nl/je-auto-als-stopcontact-voor-je-frituurpan-het-kan/

After a preparatory phase behind the scenes in 2023, Bas Koeten Racing introduced a new program at the beginning of 2024: Motorsport Techlabs. The focus is on developing crew, drivers, and innovative technologies. Various projects will drive this forward within motorsport. The latest step in this initiative is the collaboration with driver Calvin de Groot, who announced this week that he will participate in the NXT Gen Cup this season, the world’s first 100% electric touring car class. This weekend, the young West Frisian will start in no less than four races during the prestigious DTM event at the Norisring. Three more DTM events will follow later this year: Nürburgring, Sachsenring, and Hockenheim.

Jelle Koeten: “At Bas Koeten Racing, people, ambitions, knowledge, and technology come together. The success of a racing event largely depends on the knowledge, experience, and cooperation between drivers and crew. That’s why talent development has been an integral part of our organization for years. It’s an essential component of our mission to consistently deliver top performances on the track. Moreover, we believe that fostering and supporting talent not only enriches the sport as a whole but also prepares young drivers and crew for a promising future in motorsport or beyond. Our approach works: year after year, we produce champions in various racing classes. We offer a stepping stone to the highest levels of motorsport. Calvin has several years of experience in motorsport, first in the Citroen C1 Cup, then in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup, and he is now making a serious step up to the NXT Gen Cup. We will support him in this because we believe in Calvin’s potential and want to drive innovation in motorsport.”

Calvin de Groot (20) is not only active as a driver but also coaches a group of young karting talents and spends considerable hours on the racing simulator. Recently, he became a certified Technical Engineer and has successfully competed in the Dutch Championship Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup over the past year and a half. De Groot: “Last year, I wouldn’t have dared to dream that I would already be making this step to the NXT Gen Cup. This spring, I participated in a collective test day with this 100% electric race car at the Misano circuit, and I was the fastest in 7 out of 8 sessions. Driving this cup car was phenomenal, and the equality in performance will definitely lead to amazing races. For me as a driver, it’s important that I can compete with equal weapons against other drivers. Four DTM events with a total of 12 races provide a great platform to showcase myself.”

Bas Koeten adds: “We will not only support Calvin in the NXT Gen Cup, but he will also join us in spreading our message about technical innovations in motorsport. Calvin is an ambassador of our Motorsport Techlabs program, and he will join us in presentations, lectures, and meetings. The cross-pollination with student projects we are already running, as well as projects we will start from September, is important to us. We will also involve Calvin in several digital concepts we are developing, more on that later. Through Motorsport Techlabs, we offer a unique opportunity to experience the dynamic world of motorsport up close, discover and develop talent, gain hands-on experience, and learn from professionals who have already made their mark.”

Bas Koeten Racing has once again been designated as a ‘Recognized Training Company’ by the Dutch Cooperation Organization Vocational Education Business (Samenwerkingsorganisatie Beroepsonderwijs Bedrijfsleven or ‘SBB’). As one of the largest teams in the Dutch motorsport industry, we heavily focus on talent development for drivers and crew members. The SBB recognition is the result of a four-year evaluation process in which companies are assessed against various criteria. This accolade underscores our dedication to promoting knowledge, skills, and passion within the motorsport community.

Preparing for the future
Talent development is of paramount importance in motorsport. The difference between victory and defeat often depends on the knowledge and experience of participants and teams. Jelle Koeten says, “For Bas Koeten Racing, talent development is an essential part of our mission to achieve top performance on the track. We believe that fostering and supporting emerging talents not only enriches the sport as a whole but also prepares young drivers and crew members for a promising future in motorsport.”

Appreciation and support as a condition for growth
Jelle continues, “We provide students and interns with the opportunity to gain practical experience in a real motorsport environment, both in the workshop and on the circuit. Together, we create individual learning plans, taking into account their needs and ambitions. Motorsport is a unique environment where they are encouraged, supported, and challenged, and we motivate them to bring out their best. We want learners to feel valued and supported with us so they can grow as professionals.”

The four-year evaluation by SBB assures students and schools that a training company meets the highest industry standards. It primarily focuses on companies that cater to VMBO students and MBO students, but the approach remains the same for students from HBO programs and universities: personal guidance in a challenging environment.

Sparring partner for student teams
Guiding young talent has always been part of Bas Koeten Racing’s vision. Several successful projects have involved students making their debut in motorsport under the team’s guidance. “We mentor individual students and, since 2016, also the team of students from Technova College Racing,” adds Bas Koeten. “In the first four years, they competed in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup, and last year, they added the CUPRA TCR in the Supercar Challenge. This year, the latter car has been replaced by the even faster Audi TCR, skillfully driven by Laurens de Wit. The students form the team themselves, and we supervise and act as sparring partners.”

Whether it’s high school students with a passion for motorsport, students pursuing technical education and approaching graduation, or interns seeking practical experience, there are various opportunities available. Bas says, “We are proud of our partnerships with different schools, educational levels, and study fields. Besides Technova College, we collaborate with institutions like HAN University of Applied Sciences, University Racing Eindhoven, Deltion College, and Fontys Eindhoven, as well as various ROCs such as Horizon College and the Automotive College of ROC Midden Nederland.”

Recognition as proof
“These collaborations create a unique opportunity for students to experience the world of motorsport up close, receive hands-on training, and learn from professionals who have made their mark in the industry. Solid guidance is crucial for success. Our recognition as a training company is proof of our commitment to making a positive impact on educating future professionals in the motorsport sector. We will continue to strive for providing high-quality learning experiences and fostering the growth of young talent in the motorsport industry,” concludes Jelle.

Despite his young age of only 14 years old, Greaham Hofmans already has eight years of driving experience. He started with an old lawn tractor, then moved on to a dirt bike, a children’s quad, and eventually a real quad. At the age of eleven, he started karting and now he regularly drives on the circuit. This is interspersed with sessions with his 100% electric kart, the fastest in the Netherlands. As the youngest student of the Bas Koeten Racing team, Greaham Hofmans will receive guidance from a team that has over 20 years of experience in national and international racing series.

Bas Koeten says, “I recognize something of myself in Greaham. Searching for speed from a young age with anything that has wheels and an engine. A strong focus on technology, but also on development. A reserved boy, but one who knows exactly what he wants. He gives everything for it, and we have already seen that. We get energy from this kind of young people, and that’s why we’re going to work together.”

Greaham Hofmans says, “I am very eager to learn and I want to take steps in my career. After I got in touch with Bas and Jelle Koeten, I discussed with my parents that we are going to take the next steps together with them. They want to share their experience in touring cars and GTs in sprint and endurance with me. They have been doing that with success in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup and BMW M2 CS Racing Cup for a long time. The champions from those classes have moved up to fantastic European racing classes, and those examples really appealed to me.”

Jelle Koeten adds, “With Greaham and his family, we have made various plans in the past period. Last winter, we agreed that he would become part of our team. He is currently still too young for the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup, but we are giving him a full driver training program like we do with other students. Greaham participates in test days and race weekends with the other drivers, mechanics, and data engineers to learn as much as possible about the ins and outs. Whenever possible, he gets in the car to be taken around the circuit. The next step is guidance on the simulator.”